Washington wolves topic of 3 public meetings

State officials have scheduled three public meetings this week to talk about gray wolves in Washington.

A panel of experts will discuss ongoing efforts to recover and manage the state's population. The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday in Spokane Valley, Thursday in Olympia, and Friday in Seattle.

Gray wolves were eliminated as a breeding species in Washington by the 1930s have since migrated to Washington from Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia. There are eight confirmed wolf packs in the state.

Last year, the Department of Fish and Wildlife eliminated a wolf pack that had been attacking livestock in the state's northeast corner.

The animals are protected as an endangered species throughout Washington. They are federally listed as endangered only in the western two-thirds of the state.